En route, you and your guide visit Festos, an ancient city sixty-three kilometres southwest of Heraklion, inhabited from about 4000 BC.

Its palace, dating from the Middle Bronze Age, was rebuilt toward the end of the Late Bronze Age.

From here we proceed to Agia Triada in south central Crete, 30-40 meters above sea level. It lies 4 km west of Festos. This site was not one of the "palaces" of Minoan Crete, but rather a well-to-do town, and possibly a royal villa.

Moving on, a visit to Gortys supplements this tour. It is a town, 45 km away from the capital Heraklion. It was a very important city during the age of the Minoan civilization, first inhabited around 3000 B.C., and was a flourishing Minoan town between 1600-1100 B.C.

It prospered during classical and Roman times, and was destroyed by an Arab invasion in A.D. 824. Your guide will recommend a serene spot on Matala beach to enjoy an afternoon dip in the clear blue waters.

Matala is a semi-circular sandy beach 300 metres in length, at either end of which are the cliffs which make the cove a rather private place. Indulge in the warm waters as the sun sets.